Biomedical subjects

Ana M Barbero

Publications and source records attributed to Ana M Barbero.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Transcellular route of diffusion through stratum corneum: results from finite element models.

Insight into the stratum corneum (SC) permeation pathway for hydrophilic compounds is gained by comparing experimental measurements of permeability and lag time (tlag) with the predictions of a finite element (FE) model. A database of permeability and lag time measurements (n=27) of hydrophilic compounds was compiled from the literature. Transcellular and lateral lipid diffusion pathways were modeled within a brick-and-mortar geometry representing fully hydrated human SC. Modeled tlag's for the lipid pathway are too brief to account for the experimental quantities, whereas the transcellular pathway with preferential corneocyte partitioning does account for them. Measured tlag's are highly correlated (p<0.0001) with the compound's octanol-water partition coefficient, supporting the hypothesis of an aqueous-lipid partition mechanism in the permeation of hydrophilic compounds. The importance of the lag time for identifying the diffusion pathway is demonstrated.

1-Octanol↗

PubMed2005

Modeling of diffusion with partitioning in stratum corneum using a finite element model.

Partitioning and diffusion of chemicals in skin is of interest to researchers in areas such as transdermal penetration and drug disposition, either for risk assessment or transdermal delivery. In this study a finite element method is used to model diffusion in the skin's outermost layer, the stratum corneum (SC). The SC is considered to be a finite two-dimensional composite having different diffusivity values in each medium as well as a partition coefficient at the interfaces between media. A commercial finite element package with thermal analysis capabilities is selected due to the flexibility of this software to handle irregular geometries. Partitioning is accommodated through a change of variables technique. This technique is validated by comparison of model results with analytical solutions of steady-state flux, transient concentration profiles, and time lag for diffusion in laminates. Two applications are presented. Diffusion is solved in a two-dimensional "brick and mortar" geometry that is a simplification of human stratum corneum, with a partition coefficient between corneocyte and lipid. Results are compared to the diffusion in multiple laminates to examine effects of the partition coefficient. The second application is the modeling of diffusion with partitioning through an irregular geometry which is obtained from a micrograph of hairless mouse stratum corneum.

Administration, Cutaneous↗

PubMed2005

Application of solid-phase microextraction to in vitro skin permeation experiments: example using diethyl phthalate.

The application of automated solid-phase microextraction (SPME) as a sample preparation technique for in vitro studies of skin permeation is described, using diethyl phthalate (DEP) as an example. In vitro diffusion cell experiments and skin-vehicle partition coefficient determinations require quantitative analysis of low-level analytes in aqueous samples. SPME is an ideal candidate for sample preparation for subsequent gas chromatographic analysis, offering numerous advantages over other methods. SPME conditions were optimized and the automated method was found to exhibit adequate sensitivity and good precision (relative standard deviation=3%). Abdominal skin (dermatomed at 350 microm) from male hairless guinea pigs (n=6) was used to measure DEP skin permeation parameters. In vitro methods were employed to determine permeability coefficient (k(p)), time lag (tau) and skin-buffer partition coefficient (K(SB)) for 2 mM DEP in HEPES buffered Hanks Balanced Salt Solution. Measurements (mean+/-standard deviations) are: k(p), 0.021+/-0.012 cm/h; tau, 0.67+/-0.18 h; K(SB), 4.74+/-0.68. The skin may be a significant route for the uptake of DEP.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Steady-state flux and lag time in the stratum corneum lipid pathway: results from finite element models.

Finite element model (FEM) solutions of the diffusion through two-dimensional representations of the stratum corneum (SC) lipid pathway are presented. Both simplified, regular "brick and mortar" models and a more complex, irregular model are analyzed. It is assumed that diffusion occurs only within the SC lipids and the lipids are isotropic. The steady-state flux and lag time are solved and compared with the corresponding values for a homogeneous membrane of the same thickness consisting of lipid material. Results confirm that the heterogeneous SC model behaves like a homogeneous membrane, meaning that FEM diffusion simulations are well approximated by an appropriate solution of the diffusion equation for a homogeneous membrane. Additionally, both steady-state flux and lag time (relative to these values in a homogeneous membrane) can be predicted from algebraic equations based on simple dimensionless descriptors of SC geometry. However, values for diffusivity derived from homogeneous membrane approximations to the FEM solutions (effective diffusivity, D*) are not equal to the intrinsic diffusivity of the chemical in lipid. Furthermore, the pathlength derived from homogeneous membrane approximations to FEM solutions (effective pathlength, l*) is not equal to the lipid pathlength and is not dependent on SC tortuosity. Whereas l* is not a function of corneocyte overlap, D* is. These model results suggest that diffusion properties of the SC lipid pathway can be correlated to SC geometry, but intrinsic diffusion coefficients and SC tortuosity cannot be derived from common diffusion cell experiments. Use of the model equations to predict permeability and lag time of lipophilic solutes is described.

Algorithms↗